Next week, Achanta Sharath Kamal will play in the WTT Star Contender in Goa, the biggest table tennis event held in the country. The event starting February 27 will feature the world’s leading table tennis players, including Kamal who, at 40, will be one of the senior pros in the event.
One of the differentiators in sport in recent times is that Sharath Kamal is not the only athlete in his 40s playing a world sporting event. Athletes, in many of the rigorous disciplines, peak in their teens, through their 20s and start winding down in their 30s. Only a few carry on into their forties, defying time, wear and tear, and younger rivals.
Chinese Taipei’s Chih-Yuan Chuang, aged 41 and ranked 17 in the world and the 15th-ranked 41-year-old German Timo Boll are some of the other top-ranked table tennis players, though neither is listed to play in Goa, making Kamal the event’s oldest participant.
Being a seasoned professional, Kamal also finds himself summoned for off-field administrative positions. He is already the vice-chair on the athletes’ commission of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) besides being a part of the ITTF (International Table Tennis Federation) athletes’ commission. But despite the distractions, Kamal remains a force in the global arena, already intending to play the 2023 Asian Games and the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“When I play now, everyone knows or notices the kind of reflexes and agility I would need to have to get those balls back at that speed. So, the outlook of the sport has changed,” the Sportstar magazine reported him as saying at an event last month. “The advancement of sports science has become phenomenal. The amount of sports science I use in my training is phenomenal.”
His contemporary, the 41-ranked G Sathiyan, who will also play in the Goa event, has often spoken about the influence Kamal has had on his career. “Sharath is playing amazing at age 40 — so, he has cracked the code of how to train smart,” Sathiyan said at an event last year. “With 20 years’ experience, you know how your body will respond. It’s about exploring yourself. The more you understand, what food will suit you, for example, it will help prolong your career. You work physically to maintain the body with age.”
Advancements in sports science, better knowledge of fitness regimens and higher focus on diets are some of the reasons why athletes are able to maintain the kind of speed and agility that competing at the international level requires. Besides, motivation and smart training, which Sathiyan refers to, comes into play.
England’s James Anderson became the No. 1 ranked Test bowler recently. The 40-year-old has played 178 Test matches, a high number considering the intensive nature of fast bowling that makes longevity difficult. Against New Zealand over a week ago, Anderson returned with figures of 3/36 and 4/18, helping bowl New Zealand out for 126 in the final inning in England’s 267-run win.
In the last few years of his 20-year career, England have played Anderson sparsely, focussing on reducing his workload, so he can give his best in the matches he does play. But it’s also credit to the bowler’s fitness that his wicket-taking abilities have not diminished significantly.
In tennis, Roger Federer only retired last year, over the age of 40, only because he realised that coming back from an injury at this age would not be possible. Serena Williams did the same — retiring at age of 41 in 2022. Novak Djokovic won the Australian Open in January at age 35 to get back to No.1. The man he calls his greatest rival, 35-year-old Rafael Nadal, would be the favourite for the next Slam, the French Open, if he is fit enough to play. Last year, against expectations, he won the Australian and French Opens, signalling a revival to his career that’s now again on hold due to health reasons. On Wednesday, a 35-year-old 70-ranked Andy Murray, playing with a metallic hip after multiple surgeries, defeated 25-year-old 16th-ranked Alexander Zverev in Doha.
American football legend Tom Brady, with a record seven Super Bowls for New England and Tampa, recently announced his retirement at age 45 after a 23-year career. The most successful quarterback in NFL (National Football League) history, he had briefly retired after the 2021 season, but returned for one more year. Footballer Cristiano Ronaldo signed an estimated $200 million-a-year deal with Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr at age 37, though the move outside of top European leagues signals the nearing of an end to his career. Vince Carter, who retired two years ago at age 43, played 22 seasons of the NBA, the only player to do so.
Phil Mickelson won the 2021 PGA Championship at age 51, having already won The Open Championship at age 43. The golfer last year switched to the Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf tour, which also offered 47-year-old past-his-prime Tiger Woods an estimated $700-800 million to join that the latter has declined.
Djokovic credits his transformation from an almost-winner to a multiple time Grand Slam champion to his diet that is shorn of gluten and dairy. Basketballer LeBron James spends more than a million dollars annually in taking care of his body, according to some reports. Ronaldo’s career depends on explosive speed that comes from intense hard work.
Russian Andrey Rublev recently said about Djokovic: “At the age of 35, he still can be the best player in the world and break records. If you do the things right, you can perform at the highest level...age doesn’t matter. That’s what it means to me.”
